Stealing from the Bad Boy [completed]

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"So, what kinda food you like?" He asks opening the fridge.

"I don't mind, you pick." I shrug.

"We got Jatz." I don't reply with words, I just stick out my hand like a three year old and make a grabbing motion.

"Okay then," he hands them over and I start eating right away. Chewing and munching look as unattractive as ever. "No fucking way," I say with my mouth full "You have a trampoline."

He chuckles. "Yeah. Doesn't everyone?"

I look back at him as I start to walk towards the glass sliding doors towards the tramp. "I was never allowed one. My mum thinks it was written in the 10 Commandments or something."

"Fell free to use this one." He gestured outside. I look back at him with a smile and he nods again, I put the Jatz down on the table and look outside.

By this stage it was nearly completely dark outside, but the back lights shone on the trampoline like a spotlight. I step outside and push myself up on top of the circular mat.

All of the tension in my legs vanished and the pain that was once in my arms and legs had now turned into energy.

I start jumping and jumping and jumping, no height could stop me.

"This is so much fun," I say in the air as I look down at Cam. "Come on," I lend out a hand but he shakes his head.

"You're having way too much fun. Give me a second."

He walks back inside the house and all I can focus on is gravity pulling me back down and my legs springing from realise.

In a moment the back light turns off and it takes a while for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, all I see is pitch black.

I can hear Cameron say "Feel don't think."

I didn't really understand what he was saying, but when the leaves rustling in the wind and the faint insects humming overtook me. My senses zoned out and all I felt were the springs, contracting and stretching.

I slowed down my jumping until I was just standing on the trampoline with my eyes. I felt the springs move again but this time not from me.

"Are you happy?" he whispered by my side that sent shivers down my back.

My eyes were shut tight but I nodded my head vigorously as a huge smile took over my face. He put one arm around my back and held it there. I couldn't move. My whole life and I'd never seen this side of Cameron.

I'd seen the annoying, loud and obnoxious side but never the sweet and thoughtful one. He pulled me closer. "You're free."

"I guess I am." I say slowly as I open my eyes to find Cameron standing next to me with his eyes shut. He smiles. This feeling inside of me grows, one I didn't want, one I ignored. I jerked back away from his arm on my back and made my way off the trampoline.

"You okay? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I turn back to him as he hops off the tramp as well. "It's getting late, I should go."

I walk back inside and he follows me. "I'm sorry if I..."

"Don't be," I don't let him finish. "I should get back before my parents start worrying and yours get back."

"Let me take you home," he had the same sincerity I saw in him at Vintage Baby, the one I couldn't see past. I nodded.

"If it's okay?"

"Absolutely," Cameron didn't smile, he seemed upset. I didn't know if it was something I did or because I'm leaving, either way I felt guilty.

...

He drove me right up to my driveway. "I can take you up if you want, you did nearly fall off my roof today."

A part of me smiled, on the inside. "Its fine," we both stay silent. "Thank you for taking me home," I hop out of the car but leave the door open.

"No problem."

"And for not calling the police."

"Again, its fine," he says leaning over the passenger seat closer to me. I hold up my hand to wave goodbye and shut the car door with other.

I walk up my driveway in a daze, had that just happened?

The door creaks quietly when I push it open but only momentarily, once I tip toed into my room I feel a massive weight lift off my shoulder and I don't know why. I automatically walked toward my window and looked outside to see if Cameron's car was still there but it wasn't.

I change into pyjamas and try to process everything that happened today. I called Rosie.

"Hey Nat, how did it go. Did you get out before they saw you?"

"Not exactly."

"What happened?"

"Well..."

I spend the next 20 minutes telling her everything from my perspective, I could tell she was dying to interrupt me but I don't think she could. I could picture her on the edge of her bed like she always is, swinging her legs back and forth.

"Then he said it was fine and I shut the door." I wait for her on the other end to say something. "Rose? What do you think?"

"Just hold on a sec, I'm processing." I wait a few seconds.

"Done yet?"

"Okay," I hear her move as if finding the perfect position to gossip. "So how did he know you were going to break in?"

"I have no idea. He said he was smart and figured it out but I think it came to him all of a sudden."

"Okay, so he knows you have the stick but he didn't even ask you for it. After all that trouble with the reward."

"I know it's also as if...." I pause. "No."

"No what? As if what?" Rosie says.

"Maybe," I walk over to my safe and begin putting in my combination. "He didn't want the stick because," I spin it one last time and pull the hatch. "He already has it."

My Freddie Blac drumstick was gone.